His Best Friend
by IzziMeyers
Summary: George stumbles upon something on his way to break his twin out of detention.  I've broken my writer's block!  Short one-shot.  R&R, and enjoy!


George Weasley had just started his fifth year at Hogwarts, but that wasn't stopping him from getting a head start on some rule-breaking. Fred was stuck in detention, by himself for the first time; usually they got caught together. Their latest prank spanned out over two separate halls, and required one of them to be stationed at each. Unfortunately for Fred, Professor Flitwick happened to be walking past just as he executed his end of the prank. Absent from his brother, George decided to try and cause a commotion just outside of Flitwick's class and see if he could set Fred loose, and if not, well, maybe he'd end up in detention with him, which was just as good in his book. He was passing the staffroom when he heard a noise. Curious, he pushed the door open just enough to see in. The noise turned out to be a rattling, and it was coming from the staff wardrobe. Thinking that it might be a first year that was the victim of some cruel prank and noticing that there were no professors in the room to free him, George crossed the room and pulled open the wardrobe.

George felt his heart drop, because it wasn't a first year that tumbled out of the wardrobe, it was Fred, and he wasn't moving. George immediately began to panic; who had he run into on his way to detention and what had they done? He kneeled down and turned Fred onto his back, and his stomach flipped; Fred's face was covered in blood. George felt Fred's neck, looking for a pulse, for a sign of life. He bent his head down to Fred's and tried to listen for his breath, to feel it against his cheek. There was nothing.

Panic was sweeping over George quickly; he was helpless. He clutched his twin frantically, not knowing what to do, wishing he did. His ineptitude was wasting time, and each second wasted was subtracted from the already dwindling window that could mean life or death. He began to shake Fred gently, more out of desperation than anything, hoping that in his panic he had missed the pulse and that Fred had just fallen asleep. More time ticked by, and he could feel the seconds slipping away as if they were a physical part of him he was losing. He began shaking Fred harder, starting to lose his head altogether. It was only when someone, a professor, grabbed Fred from him that George realized that he must have been screaming. But instead of carrying Fred to the Hospital Wing, the professor shoved him back into the wardrobe and closed the door. George got to his feet, but before he could do anything, the professor turned around and held his hand out to stop him, and George noticed for the first time that he was Professor Lupin.

"It was just a boggart, Mr. Weasley. I was saving it for my third years, quite unlucky that you should happen across it."

"A – A boggart?" George tried to wrap his mind around the concept, but it seemed to have stopped working properly.

"Yes, and I can assure you that your twin is safe and sound writing lines in Professor Flitwick's room, as I have just come from there."

"Oh, that's good," said George dumbly, feeling relief wash over him. A boggart; so his worst fear was Fred dying? It made complete sense to him, where would he be without his twin? _Who_ would he be without his twin? It was almost as if they were two parts of a whole, and it had always felt like that. Others may think that would be infuriating, but George loved it. From day one he had someone to confide in, someone to trust, and someone who would always be there no matter what. Sure, he loved all of his siblings, with the exception of maybe Percy occasionally, but he couldn't bond with them the way he could with Fred. He was his favorite person, his other half, his best friend.

"Care for a cup of tea, Mr. Weasley?" Lupin asked. "By the time you've finished, Fred should be released and you two can go back to blowing up the corridors uninterrupted."

"Sure." George followed him out, more thankful than he had ever been before that he would never, ever have to face his worst fear.


End file.
